Letter: Council can do something about proposed CSU stadium

Apr. 6, 2013

Regarding the proposed new stadium at CSU, some City Council members have expressed a sentiment that “the Council can’t do much about it, anyway.”

Not so! CSU rules on its own land, but when one of their projects costs the city something, the council needs to represent us.

For what it’s worth, council should:

Place a referendum on the next ballot that asks, “Are you in favor of CSU building a football stadium on the main campus?” (President Frank assured Council that he would weigh community opinions heavily, but no one actually knows what the community thinks.)

• Complete and publicize a full estimate of the costs to the city for the necessary upgrades to our infrastructure (sewer, water, electricity, traffic control, street alterations, signage, planning and safety.)

• Hold forums in each affected neighborhood to discover the impacts of the stadium proposal.

• Assess the value of the project by inviting local and national experts to a work session to discuss the benefits and costs of sports stadiums in communities. (Recent negotiations with Woodward over the costs and benefits of their new downtown facility should serve as a model.)

• Assign staff to gather information from communities where a new collegiate stadium has been built in the past 10 years.

These are just some of the things that City Council can do for the community right now. Let’s go, new council!